Kingsway Summer School – Frequently Asked Questions

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Section 1 – General

How much money will I need?

Everything is included in the course fees except your personal spending money. Unless you intend to do a lot of shopping, £10 per day should be plenty.

What is a typical lunch like in the school canteen?

On alternate days you will have a choice of a snack meal (eg pizza/sausage + chips) or a more traditional main meal (eg pasta or curry and rice) served with fresh vegetables &/or salad. Then you can choose one of the following: ice-cream, fresh fruit, yoghurt or hot pudding and custard.

What kind of clothing should I bring?

English weather is unpredictable so we advise you to bring clothes suitable for our summer temperatures (average 20 degrees C) but make sure you have something for cooler temperatures and rain. Remember to bring clothes and shoes suitable for sports as well as a swimming costume. Some activities will involve walking a considerable distance so strong, flat shoes are essential unless you want blisters!

Section 2 – Lessons

How will you check my level of English?

As soon as we have confirmed your booking please go to our online English test and complete it. We will then place you in a class according to this result. When you arrive in the UK we will also check your level informally in lessons and we can change your class level if necessary.

What kind of things will we do in lessons?

You will do lots of speaking and listening activities. Our teachers will encourage you not to worry too much about grammar but to think more about vocabulary, pronunciation and fluency. Lessons will be interesting, relevant and fun.

Section 3 – Homestays

I want to stay in the same homestay as a friend who is coming with me. Is this possible?

Yes this is possible but we cannot allocate a homestay until we have received the deposit for both of you. Please note that the number of homestays available will decrease as the summer gets nearer. If you leave it too late you may find that we only have homestays with vacancies for a single student.

I want to stay in the same homestay as my parent who will be studying at Kingsway. Is this possible?

Yes this is possible but we cannot allocate a homestay until we have received the deposit for both of you. Please note that the number of homestays available will decrease as the summer gets nearer. If you leave it too late you may find that we only have homestays with vacancies for a single student.

How will I get from the homestay to RGS everyday?

We will give you this information when we confirm your accommodation. You will probably be within walking distance but if you are not we will either provide you with a bus pass or your homestay will give you lifts in and out.

How will I get home after evening activities?

All homestays will pick up their students after evening activities.

Will I have a shared bedroom in the homestay?

As soon as we have allocated a homestay for you we will send you full details including whether or not you will have a shared bedroom. If you are sharing, it may be with another student from the summer school or it may be with a child from the family. We guarantee that anyone you share with will be the same sex and a similar age to you.

Will the homestay wash my clothes?

Your homestay will do a reasonable amount of washing but you may have to do your own ironing!

Section 4 – Activities

The timetable includes Worcester activities on Mondays. What is this?

They are practical language exercises where you work in a small team to follow directions around the city. Along the way you have to find the answers to questions. We have a number of different routes & questions allowing us to use the exercise on different days.

What are the weekly awards?

This is when we acknowledge the achievements of different students. We could give an award for the “Friendliest Student of the Week”, “Most Helpful Student of the Week” or “The Hardest Working Student of the Week”. But there are sure to be some humorous categories like “The Muddiest Student of the Week” (after we’ve been to Top Barn) or “The Student Most Likely to Capsize a Raft” (after our raft-building day). We’ll see what everyone gets up to.

What is Laser Quest?

This is an indoor laser-tag game based around infrared hand held units and vests. The activity takes place in a large area filled with theatrical smoke and strobe lights and places to hide. The idea is to hide from your opponents and not get hit at the same time as trying to hit them. Don’t worry – nobody gets hurt!

I’ve never been ice skating before. How will I cope?

Well you might fall over a bit whilst you’re learning but you will also have a lot of fun! We know that the students who have skated before will help those who haven’t. And if none of the group has skated before, everyone will have to hang on to the side!

What sport options are available?

There are quite a few sport options, depending on what you are interested in doing, and depending on the British weather! This year we are planning sport activities which are both fun and easy for everyone to join in – hill walking, swimming and cycling. The purpose is to get some physical exercise away from the classroom and to keep using your English! During break times at school you will be able to play football and other similar games if you wish. Our Summer School Assistants will organise the sports afternoons according to conditions on the day.